Níl aon tintéan mar do thintéan féin There's no
by MeTuKa
Summary: Updated! Chapter 13 mysterious photos lead the team to Ireland. the summary will get better, honest ;
1. Default Chapter

Title: Níl aon tintéan mar do thintéan féin. (There's no place like home)  
Author: Kim Summary:  
Genre:  
Warning: None to my knowledge.  
Disclaimer: I do not own Frank Donovan or the others, I just borrow them. Other characters are mine. Don't have money, so you can't sue.  
Archive: If you want to, just let me know where.  
Feedback: Please and be honest. was a beautiful spring day in Chicago. The sun was shining, not a cloud in the sky. A perfect day to be outside enjoying the weather. Kids were outside playing in the parks. Lovers walking hand in hand on the lakefront. The UC team was stuck inside doing paperwork.

"There's no way he'll let us go," Alex said, sipping her coffee.

"I have the perfect plan," Cody smirked, rolling his chair over to the table.

"Enlighten us," Jake said, pushing Cody back.

"Okay, first, Donovan's door is always shut." Cody started to explain, "We put some of the flex cuffs together and lock the door that way. The door opens up into his office."

"And what about the stairs?" Monica asked, "There's no door there."

"Block it with something." Cody stated, "It's too nice to be here."

"Good morning, everyone." a voice said from the doorway.

They turned to see who was talking to them. Jake and Alex groaned when they saw him saunter in.

"Who's this guy?" Cody asked, eyeing him.

"Frankie up in his office? Thanks." he winked walking up the stairs.

"I can't believe it," Alex said, watching him. "This means trouble."

"He has a file with him," Jake warned.

"Who is it?" Monica asked.

"I can't remember his name, but he worked with Donovan before." Jake said with distaste.

"Tom, CIA," Alex answered, "I wonder what he wants now."

"Just when Donovan thought he was out, " Cody started, doing an Al Pacino impression, "they pull him back in."

"Cody, I can't believe you at times." Monica laughed, rolling her eyes at him.

Donovan heard the footsteps on the stairs. He figured it was Cody trying to con him into letting them go home, again. He smiled at Cody being determined about playing hooky. His smile disappeared fast when he saw Tom standing in the doorway.

"Tom," Donovan said, acknowledging his old friend. He leaned back in his chair, "what can I do for you?"

"Frank, I wish I could say this visit was friendly," Tom started to say.

"I'm not interested in doing work for you." Donovan flatly stated, staring at the file Tom held. Bolivia was enough; he wasn't about to put his team through that again.

Tom walked over to the window and saw that Donovan's team was watching him closely. "Good team you have Frankie. There when you need them, that's good," Tom commented.

"Yes, they are." Donovan agreed, wondering why Tom was here.

"I really wish this was about business. I'm here to notify you." Tom said, trying to avoid Donovan's face.

"Notify me?" Donovan asked, "About what?"

"Ciara," Tom replied.

"Ciara," Donovan started to say, "what about her?"

"Ciara might be alive, Frank." Tom replied. He could see the shock in Donovan's face. That wasn't the news he was expecting to hear. He watched Donovan regain some composure and launch himself out of his chair. He watched Donovan pace around the room like a caged tiger ready to pounce on his prey.

"Are you sure?" he asked, "How? I want to know."

"In Ireland, a few days ago," Tom answered.

Donovan reached the breaking point, he needed to do something. He needed to take his anger out on something. He walked over to his desk and flung everything across the room. Tom just stared at his friend, this was the fist time he saw Donovan lose control.

They all heard the crash from Donovan's office. They started up the stairs to make sure he was okay.

"Oh my God," Cody said running up the stairs, "Donovan killed him."

They stopped in the doorway. They saw Donovan standing over his desk, head hanging down. The look Tom gave them was warning to leave Donovan be.

"Why wasn't I notified a few days ago?" Donovan asked, not sure if he really wanted to know the answer

"You know why Frank," Tom said, confirming what Donovan thought. He handed Donovan the file. "There's something I need to show you."

"What's this?" he asked, taking the file. He flipped through the contents. Inside were surveillance photos taken of a woman. "It's not her. I identified the body over a year ago. The DNA test was positive."

"Did he just say body?" Jake whispered.

"We had the body dug up. The body was flown in today." Tom said, putting a hand on Donovan's shoulder. "We can go anytime you want."

"Everything okay, Donovan?" Alex asked, searching his face.

"Do you want one of us to go with you?" Jake offered.

"No." he answered to both questions.

"Hey Frank, remember what I said about them earlier? Being there when needed, I meant it." Tom commented.

Donovan looked up at his team, finally realizing that they were there. He wondered how much they heard. He looked back at Jake and saw the concern in his face. "Jake, would you come with us?" he asked. 


	2. chapter 2

Northwestern Hospital  
  
"Before you go in there Frank, it's not pretty." Tom said handing him the case file.  
  
"I know," he replied, "but it's something I have to do."  
  
"We're waiting for the DNA test to come back." Tom replied.   
  
"Ciara," Donovan whispered, raking his hand through his hair, "Jake, I want you to stay out here."  
  
"Are you sure?" Jake questioned. He wanted to be there for his boss, but he knew this was something that had to be done in private. He watched Donovan walk into the room.  
  
"Don't feel bad," Tom said, "Donovan has a hard time with emotion."  
  
"If you don't mind my asking, who was this woman?" Jake asked.  
  
"A good agent," Tom stated, leaning against the wall, "and a good friend."  
  
  
The viewing room was cold. Through the glass Donovan could see the outline of Ciara's body under the white sheet. Or what they all thought was Ciara's body. He never thought it would end up like this. He closed his eyes, remembering her red curly hair and bright smile and infectious laughter.   
  
He opened the file and read through it. Date of death was listed as September 24, 2000. Cause of death was listed as a single gunshot to the back of the head. DNA testing was needed due to from her chest up was burned beyond recognition. Other identifying marks listed as a butterfly tattoo on the hip. Donovan yelled for Tom to join him in the room.  
  
"What's wrong?" Tom asked, coming through the door.  
  
"That's not Ciara." Donovan stated, relieved at the thought.  
  
"How do you know?" Tom asked.  
  
"The Coroner's report states a butter fly tattoo on the hip." Donovan said, pointing to the report.  
  
"A tattoo?" Tom questioned, "Frank, are you sure? You could be grasping at straws here."  
  
"He's right Donovan, " Jake stepped in, "and maybe she decided to make some changes in her life."  
  
"No, she would never get a tattoo." Donovan repeated.  
  
"Are you sure?" Jake asked.  
  
"Yes," he stressed, "Ciara was afraid of needles."  
  
"Well, she could've been drunk." Jake said, not meeting the icy stare he received from Donovan.  
  
"Ciara is also allergic to the red ink used for tattoos." Donovan stated, "That's not her."  
  
  
  
  
  
"Are you positive?" Jake asked, he didn't like the idea of Donovan keeping hope alive if the chance wasn't there.  
  
"Yes," Donovan hissed, "I know that's not her."  
  
"Alright," Tom said, he knew enough to trust Donovan's instincts, "let's go back to your office and I'll make some calls. We'll wait for the DNA results."  
  
  
An hour later they were back at The Nest. Jake walked over to the rest of the team and watched Donovan and Tom walk into his office. Jake sat down shaking his head.  
  
"How is he?" Alex asked.  
  
"Not good," Jake explained, "he thinks she's still alive."  
  
"What makes him think she's still alive?" Monica asked.  
  
"The body has a tattoo on its hip, Donovan swears she would never have that done." Jake said, feeling sorry for Donovan.  
  
"But," Cody said.  
  
"But, Tom showed Donovan some surveillance photos that were taken a couple days ago." Jake answered.  
  
"He's in denial," Monica diagnosed, "he's been under a lot of pressure lately."  
  
They looked up when they saw Tom and Donovan walk out of the office.   
  
"I'll call you with all the flight information to Ireland." Tom said going towards the door.  
  
"What's up?" Alex asked, "Going on a trip?"  
  
"Then we're going with you." Jake responded.  
  
"No, " Donovan responded, "I'm going alone."  
  
"Well, then don't be surprised if you see me there getting another stamp in my passport." Jake replied, sitting down.  
  
"I could always bug your stuff to find you." Cody chipped in.  
  
"I could work on my accent right about now." Alex smiled.  
  
"And I could always have you relieved of duty citing emotional distress." Monica threatened.  
  
Tom couldn't help but laugh, "It's a good thing they're on our side Donovan. You better listen to them. You'll need all the help you can get. "  
  
"So, where are we going boss?" Jake smiled, putting his feet up on the desk and hands behind his head, pleased with himself.  
  
"Ireland." he smiled, "You have one hour to get what you need and met back here or I'll leave without you. Pack warm."  
  
  
"By the way, you're welcome," Jake tossed over his shoulder, heading out the door.  
  
"Thank you." Donovan replied after they left.  
  
  
A few hours later  
  
"I think I could get used to life of a 'Company man'." Cody smirked, relaxing into the private jet.  
  
"Don't get too comfy, we have work to do." Monica said, smacking his feet off her seat.  
  
"Does anyone have any clue to what we are going to do or what's going on?" Alex asked, twirling a cigarette in her fingers. Donovan was eyeing it and glared at her. "Don't worry, I'm not going to smoke it."  
  
"Yea, are you going to fill us in?" Jake asked gripping the arm of the seat as turbulence hit the plane.  
  
Alex laughed as Jake's knuckles turned white from his grip.  
  
"What?" Jake glared at Cody, "I'm not an easy flyer. Want to make something of it?"  
  
"I didn't say anything." Cody smirked, "Wuss."  
  
"Do any of you know anything about the Real IRA?" Donovan asked.  
  
"Irish Republican Army." Alex replied.  
  
"No." Donovan stated.  
  
"The Real IRA is a group of fanatics that branched out from the IRA after the peace talks." Monica answered.  
  
"What else do you know about them?" Donovan asked her.  
  
"They'll do what they need to do to promote their cause." Monica continued, "The IRA targets only the military. The Real IRA would target anyone, man, woman and child. The Real IRA will not negotiate for anything, while the IRA will. Funny thing is, the Real IRA is on the terrorist watch list, but the IRA isn't."  
  
"Are you serious?" Cody asked.  
  
"Blame the State Department on that one." Monica replied, "Am I correct?"  
  
"Yes," Donovan replied, "why don't you get some rest. We have a couple more hours to go. An hour before we land, I'll brief you on what we're going to do."  
  
"There's something else he's not telling us about this." Jake whispered to Alex.  
  
"I think he'll tell us when he's ready." she replied closing her eyes. 


	3. chapter 3

"We'll be landing in Dublin within the hour," Donovan announced.  
  
Alex stood up to stretch her legs and slapped Jake in the back of his head to wake him up.   
  
"Up, we're almost there." Alex smiled innocently at him.  
  
"There's other ways to wake a person up," Jake mumbled rubbing his head.  
  
"Pay attention." Donovan said handing out the file. "Her name is Ciara Fitzgerald. She worked for the State Department as a Political Affairs Officer. Ciara was a liaison between the US Ambassador and the British Ambassador negotiating with the peace process."  
  
"How long was she dealing with this?" Monica asked,  
  
"She was involved in the process since 1998, after the Belfast Agreement was signed. She has first hand knowledge about all the groups that were involved." Donovan replied.  
  
"Question," Cody raised his hand, "okay, and a couple questions. One. Why was she pronounced dead if she's alive? Two. What happened?"  
  
"Members of the Real IRA kidnapped her from her home in Dublin." Donovan started to explain, "They made their list of demands. After two months of being held hostage, they decided they wanted to trade her for political prisoners."  
  
"The government didn't go for it." Jake answered.  
  
"The United States will not negotiate with terrorists." Donovan flatly replied.  
  
"What did her family do?" Alex asked.  
  
"What could they do?" Donovan asked, "She signed the memo stating where the government stands on hostage situations. All parties knew what they were getting into."  
  
"I take it you have signed the memo once or twice in your career." Alex stated.  
  
"Once or twice," he confirmed.  
  
"Something tells me that her family wouldn't take that as a no." Jake commented.  
  
"Off the record, a team was sent to find her. When they were close to finding her, they moved her." Donovan admitted.  
  
"So, was she related to a Kennedy to get that kind of response?" Cody smirked.  
  
"No," Donovan glared, "Ciara Fitzgerald is the Irish Ambassador's goddaughter."  
  
"And you were in charge of finding her." Alex stated, "How long were you on the case?"  
  
"The Real IRA had Ciara for almost four months before I was called in. After tracking them over half of Northern Ireland, we caught up to them in Belfast." Donovan explained sitting down.  
  
"And then what happened?" Monica asked.  
  
  
  
  
"My team was ready to go in when gunshots were heard, then a fire broke out. The heat was too intense to go in. By the time we were able to get in, half the house was up in flames. They knew the government would never trade for Ciara, so they shot her in the back of the head." Donovan explained, closing his eyes remembering that day.  
  
"Ciara's death happened one month before you beached yourself." Monica commented adding the dates up, "You blame yourself for her death."  
  
"Ciara was an old family friend. I owe it to her family to bring her back," he responded.  
  
"If she is alive, why wouldn't she have contacted her family?" Jake asked.  
  
"I'm not sure." Donovan replied, "But we'll find out. We'll be landing in a few minutes. Make sure all your paperwork is in order for Customs and Immigration."  
  
"How long will it take?" Alex asked, "Are the lines long like in the States?"  
  
"They'll be coming to the plane," he smiled at Alex and Cody's facial expressions, "Tom made a few calls after we left."  
  
"What's the plan after that?" Jake asked.  
  
"We'll be traveling to County Wicklow. Tom said the photos were taken almost a week ago. His informant will be meeting us when we land." Donovan said.  
  
"Don't forget to breath when we land Jake." Cody laughed.  
  
"You're going to meet with a Blarney stone if you don't watch it." Jake threatened.  
  
"Wrong part of Ireland." Alex laughed.  
  
The plane landed with no problems. Customs and Immigration were waiting for them as the taxied in. In less than ten minutes they were ready to disembark the plane and met with the informant.  
  
The sky was overcast. You could smell the rain in the air. Donovan pulled his coat as he disembarked from the plane. At the end of the tarmac, Donovan saw a familiar face waiting for him.  
  
"Ambassador Doyle," Donovan greeted, "I thought you would be in Washington."  
  
"Tá fáilte romhat. Welcome Frank, it's good to see you again," the old man said embracing him, "it's been too long. If anyone can bring Ciara home, it's you."  
  
"No disrespect, sir, that's if she's really alive." Donovan added.  
  
"Come, I have rooms prepared for you and your friends." The Ambassador invited.  
  
"Thank you, but no, "Donovan refused, " I'd like to leave for Wicklow right away."  
  
"Bí ciúin. Be quiet," the Ambassador huffed, "your informant is waiting at my home. It wouldn't be wise for him to be seen with us in public. Come, I have apple fritters and Irish coffee waiting for you."  
  
Donovan smiled. He knew when he was beat. "You win John," Donovan laughed, "we'll follow behind you."   
  
  
  
The drive from Dublin Airport to Ambassador Doyle's home took thirty minutes. Thirty minutes too long. Cody kept complaining that Donovan was driving on the wrong side of the road and was trying to kill them.  
  
"Watch out for the car." Cody yelled.  
  
"For the last time Cody," Monica yelled throwing her coat at him, "They drive on the left side here."  
  
Donovan followed the Ambassador's car into gated driveway. An armed guard was stationed in front of the gate as they passed through it. Jake and Alex were mentally noting the security on the grounds. Donovan pulled up and turned off the car. He got out of the car and looked around. Everything still looked the same.  
  
Cody and Monica were looking around when a dog came running and barking towards them. "What the hell is that?" Cody asked moving out of the way before it ran him over. They watched run over to Donovan and knocked him to the ground.  
  
"It's an Irish Wolfhound," Donovan smiled standing up petting the dog, "Her name is Pooka. It means mischievous sprite. Watch your wallet, Ciara trained it to steal."  
  
"So, you've been here before." Alex laughed.  
  
Donovan was about to reply when he looked up and the people walking out of the house. Seeing the one man walk out Donovan drew his gun and aimed it at him. "What the hell is he doing here?" he asked the Ambassador.  
  
"He's here to help us." the Ambassador explained, "Patrick has all the information you need."  
  
"He was with them when Ciara was killed. He helped them." Donovan accused.  
  
"He was feeding us information on Ciara's whereabouts. You can trust him Frank," the Ambassador pleaded. "Let's go in and talk."  
  
"I'll join you in a minute." Donovan said holstering his gun, "There's something I need to do first."  
  
"He'll be back in a moment. He doesn't trust easy, especially when it comes to Ciara. Give him time," the Ambassador told his friend, showing them all into the house.  
  
Alex watched Donovan walk towards the back of the estate. He knew exactly where he was going. Alex followed him to make sure his was okay. He walked into what looked like a family cemetery. Alex hung back to give him some privacy.  
  
Donovan stopped at a grave that was just recently dug up. He moved his hand over the headstone. He dropped to his knees and rested his head on the stone. "Tá grá agam duit." he whispered, ignoring the wetness on his cheek, "Tá brón orm." Donovan stayed there a few minutes more before tracing his finger over the words inscribed on the headstone.   
  
Alex watched Donovan walk back towards the house. She walked over to the headstone. Her curiosity got the better of her. She read the headstone. Ciara Fitzgerald. Born October 30, 1970. Died September 24, 2000. She looked at the word Donovan traced with his finger. Céile.   
  
"This gets more and more confusing." Alex muttered to herself walking back to the house. 


	4. chapter 4

"Ambassador, with all respect, I will not take help from him." Donovan stated, motioning towards Patrick.  
  
"Frank, be reasonable" the Ambassador pleaded.  
  
"He doesn't know Donovan that well then." Cody smirked.  
  
"No, sir," Donovan responded, "every time we were close to Ciara, they knew and they moved her. I can't trust him."  
  
"But I can," the Ambassador swore, "Ciara did too."  
  
"Ciara trusted me enough to give me this." Patrick said handing Donovan a small box.   
  
Donovan took the box and opened it. Inside the box was a Celtic knot necklace and ring. "When did you get this?" he asked.  
  
"After they took her into Belfast," Patrick replied, "before McMartins sent me to Londonderry. Two months ago was the first chance I got to try and bring it to the Ambassador."  
  
"These are some more of the pictures Patrick was able to bring." Ambassador Doyle said handing them over.  
  
Donovan looked over the surveillance photos and the file that it was attached to. "Who do you work for? MI5 or MI6?" Donovan asked.  
  
"Patrick McGee, MI6." He introduced, "Don't act too surprised Agent Donovan and don't tell me your government doesn't have spooks here too."  
  
"Why do I feel like James Bond will come crashing in at any moment?" Cody whispered to Monica.  
  
"Touché. And you neglected to inform us of this last year why?' Donovan growled, tossing the file at him.  
  
"I've been under in McMartins group for about three months when McMartins personally asked me to help with Ms. Fitzgerald. As soon as I found out who she was I tried to send information when I could. I was not about to ruin my cover for no limey woman."  
  
"You better watch what you say," Donovan warned stepping closer to the agent. Jake grabbed Donovan's arm and pulled him back, "And now you hand over her personal belongings?"  
  
"The man does have a point Donovan," Jake added, "He has a job to do undercover and he couldn't blow it."  
  
"Can we put all this macho pride on the back burner and figure out a way to find this woman?" Alex asked taking the file from Patrick.  
  
"Have you ever seen Donovan this charged up?" Monica asked Cody.  
  
"Okay, the report states these were taking in Bray in County Wicklow. Is there any reason why you're watching the town?" Alex asked.  
  
"McMartins' next in command has been traveling there in the past couple of months. We think they're up to something, but we don't know what." Patrick explained, "If McMartins finds out Ms. Fitzgerald may still be alive."  
  
"He'll use her as a bargaining chip again and then make sure she's dead." Donovan finished. "Cody, set up the communications here. Monica, find out everything about McMartins and his next in command."  
  
"What about us?" Jake asked.  
  
"Pack your gear in the car. We're leaving for bray in ten minutes." Donovan ordered, "Time for you to work on your accent."  
  
"Just as long as I can understand them." Alex laughed.  
  
"Don't worry, English is the primary language. If needed, I can speak it." Donovan replied.  
  
"Yea, Alex, while you were outside the Ambassador was showing us some pretty interesting pictures of Donovan as a kid." Jake commented.  
  
"Show her the one where he's surrounded by sheep." Cody smirked.  
  
"Let's go," Donovan said grabbing the picture from Cody. He briefly glanced at it and smiled. "It's about eighty-two miles to Bray."  
  
  
  
****************************************  
  
"We'll be in Bray in less than a half hour." Donovan stated.  
  
"Good thing you told Cody to stay back at the Ambassador's." Alex laughed looking out the window at the mountains, "He couldn't handle the ride."  
  
"What's the status on McGee?" Donovan asked.  
  
"He's on his way back to Belfast." Monica replied, "He said he'll let us know if McMartins knows anything."  
  
"Cody, what did you find out about McGee?"   
  
"Patrick McGee. Born January 28, 1961 in Belfast. MI6 recruited him when he turned eighteen." Cody informed them.  
  
"What else?"  
  
"That's it." Cody sighed, "McGee's file is hard to break into like yours."  
  
"Talk to Ambassador Doyle, not that secretary of his. Him I don't trust. The Ambassador might be able to pull some strings." Donovan said, "Cody, were you able to bug McGee?"  
  
"You doubt moi?" Cody huffed, "I can bug anything remember?"  
  
"Why don't you trust McGee?" Jake asked.  
  
"In two of the attempts to rescue Ciara, McGee was the one finding new places to hide her." Donovan explained, "If he knew we were there to get her back, he could've found away to get word to us."  
  
"So you think there's more to what's going on?" Alex asked.  
  
"Yes," Donovan stated, "and this woman who looks like Ciara is the key."  
  
"So, you're not convinced she's Ms. Fitzgerald." Jake asked.  
  
"The DNA results came back positive." Donovan admitted.  
  
"But something has you doubting it." Alex said.  
  
"Yes," Donovan answered, "Tom is checking into who had the testing done."  
  
"Can you trust him with this?" Jake asked.  
  
Donovan looked into the rearview mirror and met Jake's eyes. "I would." 


	5. chapter 5

Alex settled into her hotel room. Anything for a cigarette break. She could've sworn Donovan was about to ask her for one. She felt jumping into the shower to wash the jetlag away, but opted to start asking questions. She grabbed the file off the dresser and made her way to the front desk. If someone's seen Ciara or whoever she was, it's a good place to start.   
  
Alex walked down the hallway and saw that Jake was already talking to the hostess. "Learn anything yet?" Alex asked Jake.  
  
"Yea, there's a dance tonight. The whole town will be there. We can do some questioning then." Jake informed her.  
  
"We're not here to get a date Jake." Alex warned him.  
  
"You should come to the dance, Jake, come and have a bit o' crack." Mary, the hostess smiled.  
  
"Crack?!" Jake asked confused.  
  
"By crack I'm assuming that you don't mean incredibly hard drugs." Alex asked.  
  
'Oh no! It just means havin' a laugh, like havin' a bit o' fun!" the hostess laughed.  
  
"Started work without me?" Donovan asked walking up to them. "Jake start on the west side on town. Alex and I will start east. You get a lead let us know right away."  
  
"Got it." Jake said, "See ya later Mary."  
  
Mary watched as they left the hotel. She walked over to the phone, "Aidan, its Mary. Three more people are in town looking for her. Two men and a woman. Americans, but the one man has a slight accent. One's name is Jake. He's headed towards the docks. Come here in an hour and I'll let you know what I find out."  
  
Mary hung up the phone and proceeded to walk up the stairs towards the rooms. She took the master keys out of her pocket and opened the door. She closed the door slightly to hear in case they came back early. She opened the bag that was sitting on the bed. Inside was a file. She picked up the file and started to look through it. Six photos of the woman they were looking for were in the front followed by information on her.   
  
Behind the regular photos and papers was a smaller picture. It was of the woman and the man with the accent on a boat somewhere. They were smiling. "Find something of interest?" Donovan asked grabbing Mary's arm. Startled, Mary dropped the file, the contents falling around the room.  
  
Alex closed the door to the room and started to pick up the file. "Good thing I didn't bet you about her going to snoop," Alex commented, placing the photo of Donovan and Ciara in her pocket, "I'd lose fifty bucks."  
  
"Where is she?" Donovan demanded pushing the woman into a chair.  
  
"Go hifreann leat!" Mary spat out.  
  
"What did she say?" Alex asked, "I'd like to know if I'm being talked about."  
  
"She told me to go to hell." Donovan replied, "Tell me where she is. Her name is Ciara Fitzgerald. I will make your life a living hell."  
  
"He can too," Alex added, "He lives for that."  
  
"You can't do anything to me," Mary smiled, "You're American. You have no rights here."  
"You're right on that," Donovan agreed sitting down on the bed, staring at Mary, "but I do have powerful friends here. I can have the Ambassador make a few calls and have this hotel closed. Plus I could have you thrown in Maze for the rest of your life."  
  
"You wouldn't." Mary dared him.  
  
"Oh, he would," Alex commented, "he never bluffs."  
  
"Ms. Fitzgerald is related to the Ambassador. She was kidnapped from her home in Dublin over a year. I can have those charges brought on you." Donovan smiled.  
  
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Mary replied.  
  
"Her kidnappers also attempted to murder her in Belfast." Donovan said leaning towards Mary, grabbing her chin, "Belfast police don't like to be made fools of by the IRA and with the attempted murder of an American diplomat, they wouldn't treat you very well."  
  
"I had nothing to with that," Mary protested, "I have no idea what you're talking about."  
  
"Let's go," Donovan ordered, helping her out of the chair, "you can tell that to the Ambassador.'  
  
"Let her go. We have your friend and I'll have him killed if necessary." a man in the doorway ordered, holding a gun on them. Donovan let Mary go and handed her his gun. She then walked over to Alex and took hers. "Let's go for a walk and talk about this. Go back to work Mary, everything will be fine."  
  
The man led them down the stairs and out the building. He motioned for them to get into the waiting car.   
  
"Who do you work for?" Donovan asked.  
  
"We'll talk when we get there." the man said, "Don't try anything either. If we don't make it there in a half hour, your friend will be killed."  
  
  
Fifteen minutes later the car pulled up to a cottage outside of Bray. An old woman was standing in the doorway waving them into the house.   
  
"Tá fáilte romhat. Welcome. You must forgive my boys," the old woman said walking up to them, "for the past couple days other interests have been asking around for the woman you are looking for."  
  
"What can you tell us about her?" Donovan asked. "Where is she?"  
  
"Come into my home and I'll explain what I can." Mrs. O'Shea said, showing them inside. "My son, Michael, joined up with the IRA when he turned sixteen. A cause he believed in. After a while he realized it wasn't what he thought the fighting was about. Killing innocent people wasn't something Michael believed in."   
  
"Go on," Alex replied handing the woman a glass of water.  
  
"Three years later Michael was ready to walk away. He called telling me that he was coming home and he was trying to make some things right. Michael never made it home," she explained.  
  
"What happened?" Jake asked.  
  
  
  
"Michael was driving home with his girlfriend when their car was forced off the road. Michael was killed instantly. His girlfriend had severe head trauma. When we got to the hospital we knew that the young woman wasn't Michael's girlfriend, but she was carrying her id." Aidan explained.  
  
"What was your son trying to do?" Alex asked.  
  
"My brother called me the night before and explained everything to me." Aidan said, " He knew McMartins kidnapped an American. He was going to kill the woman no matter what. She overheard something that sealed her death. Michael and another man switched the American with his girlfriend, they looked the same."  
  
"Except for the tattoo." Donovan added.  
  
"Yes," Aidan agreed. "But Michael's plan didn't go the way he wanted it."  
  
"Why didn't you contact the Embassy?" Donovan asked.  
  
"Michael told us not to. He said someone at the Embassy wanted her dead." he replied.  
  
"She could've contacted me." Donovan said standing up, "She knew I could protect her."  
  
"She didn't even know her name." Aidan responded. "She was in a coma for two weeks and when she came out of it she couldn't remember anything that happened. Not even her name."  
  
"What did the doctor say?" Alex asked.  
  
"He said she had retro something." Mrs. O'Shea stated.  
  
"Retrograde Amnesia." Donovan finished.  
  
"Yes." she replied.  
  
"She can't remember her past, but she can remember everything that happened after the accident." Donovan added, "It's been over a year and she hasn't remembered anything?"  
  
"If she has, she didn't tell us." Aidan replied, "She's knows someone is after her, but she doesn't want to endanger Mom so we can't get her to talk about it."  
  
"You said other interests were here looking for her," Alex asked, "who?"  
  
"I'm not sure of their names, but I do know they're with McMartins." Aidan responded.  
  
"Where is she?" Donovan asked.  
  
"She should be in her room." the old woman smiled, "I'll go get her."  
  
I'm right here, Mrs. O'Shea," Ciara said standing in the doorway.  
  
Donovan turned towards the voice and he couldn't believe his eyes. "Ciara," he whispered.  
  
"Then that is my name," Ciara replied, "I wasn't sure. You said I know you?"  
  
"Why don't we leave them to talk." Mrs. O'Shea said heading for the kitchen, "You two look hungry. Aidan, come along, she'll be fine."  
  
"Can you tell me what happened?" Ciara asked sitting down next to Donovan.  
  
"I can tell you what I know." Donovan replied.  
  
"What was I doing here in Ireland?" she asked.  
  
"You came to Ireland in 1998 to help with the peace process. You worked for the American Embassy in Dublin." Donovan explained, "One night you were kidnapped by some terrorists. There was a rescue attempt and we thought you were dead."  
  
"Who thought I was dead?" Ciara asked.  
  
"The Irish Ambassador, your family and myself. I was there when we thought you were killed." Donovan replied.   
  
"I feel like I should know you, but I can't place you." Ciara replied frustrated, "You said I knew you would've protected me. How do we know each other?"  
  
"You're my céile." Donovan replied taking her hand.  
  
  
"Excuse me, Mrs. O'Shea, I have a question for you." Alex said.  
  
"Go ahead, dear." she replied.  
  
"I need to know what a certain word means." Alex said, "I can speak up to eight languages and I never knew Gaelic was still spoken. What does céile mean?"  
  
"Why that means wife." Mrs. O'Shea smiled. 


	6. chapter 6

"Donovan, we need to speak to you. Now." Alex demanded, storming into the living room.  
  
"What's wrong?" he asked, looking from Alex and then to Jake.  
  
"Not here, outside." Alex motioned with her head.  
  
"Alone." Jake growled, "No offense."  
  
"None taken." Ciara replied.  
  
"Let's go," Alex said grabbing Donovan's arm and dragging him outside.  
  
"What's wrong?" Donovan asked again.  
  
"What the hell is going on Donovan?" Alex yelled.  
  
"You couldn't trust us with the truth?" Jake accused.  
  
"When in the hell were you going to tell us she's your wife?" Alex demanded, getting into his face.  
  
"You told us that she was an old friend of the family." Jake accused, "You had no right to withhold that information."  
  
"I told you what you needed to know." Donovan stated.  
  
"What we needed to know was the truth!" Jake hissed, "We trust you with our lives!"  
  
"I kept nothing from you. You both read her file." Donovan replied, turning to go back onto the house.  
  
"Everything except that she could be your wife!" Jake spat, stopping Donovan from leaving.  
  
"A few hours ago you still had doubts about who this woman is." Alex threw at Donovan.  
  
"Is that true?" Ciara asked stepping outside, "You have doubts about who I am? Why?"  
  
"A DNA test gave proof that the body was you," Jake answered.  
  
"Jake!" Donovan yelled.  
  
"Unlike us," Alex spat at Donovan, "she has the right to know what's really going on."  
  
"From what Mrs. O'Shea told us, something more was going on than a simple kidnapping and ransom. They were going to kill Ciara no matter what." Jake replied.  
  
"And until we find out what's going on and who this woman really is, not McMartins, not that creep McGee and not you will take advantage of this woman!" Alex swore walking over to the woman.  
  
"Excuse me!" Ciara shouted, pointing to Jake, "First of all, couldn't you have a little more finesse than to tell a person a body was theirs confirmed by DNA."  
  
"But," Jake stammered.  
  
"And you!" Ciara turned and pointed at Donovan, "How could you tell me that I'm your wife when you're not even sure I am? What the hell is the matter with you people? I'm confused enough, I don't need you three lunatics to add to the confusion."  
"Ciara," Donovan started to say.  
  
"No, don't call me that!" she exclaimed, backing away from them.  
  
"And what shall we call you?" Donovan asked.  
  
"Oh, I don't know! Until we find out who I am, call me," she said, thinking of a name, "call me Anne."  
  
"Ciara's file said she worked for the State Department right?" Alex asked  
  
"Yes," Donovan confirmed.  
  
"Foreign Affairs Office?" Alex asked.  
  
"You know a way to find out who I am?" she asked.  
  
"Did they check the body's fingerprints?" Jake asked, understanding what Alex was asking.  
  
"They were unable to use them, that's why DNA was used." Donovan replied.  
  
"Then it's settled, let's go." she said.  
  
"Are you sure?" Donovan asked her, "We'll have to go to Dublin."  
  
"The sooner I find out who I am, the better." she reasoned, "I'll go get my things."  
  
"I'll go explain everything to the O'Shea's." Alex stated heading back to the house, "I meant what I said Donovan, I won't let you use her to find out what's going on."  
  
"What's so amusing?" Jake asked Donovan, who was smiling.  
  
"Anne is Ciara's middle name." he replied.  
  
  
"Cody, we'll be in Dublin within the hour. Where's the Ambassador?" Donovan asked into his cell phone.  
  
"He went to his office." Cody replied, "I was just about to contact you. Your friend, Tom, called with the information about the DNA test."  
  
"Was he able to find out who ordered it?" Donovan asked.  
  
"He did." Cody confirmed, "Tom said the Ambassador ordered the test and supplied the sample. What's the plan?"  
  
"We're bringing her in to have her prints checked." Donovan replied.  
  
"Her?" Cody asked, "She does have a name doesn't she?"  
  
"I'd rather not discuss that right now." Donovan said into the phone, "Just make sure you have everything ready to take the prints."  
  
"For a minute I thought Alex was going to kick your ass." Jake commented looking in the rearview mirror watching Alex and 'Anne' sleep, "You really pissed her off."  
  
"I did what I thought was right. I won't apologize for that." Donovan stated.  
Jake stared out the car window into the darkness. "How can you see?" Jake asked, "I keep expecting to see this ghost carriage flying out at us."  
  
"What the hell are you talking about?" Donovan asked him.  
  
"Darby O'Gill and the Little People. Old Disney, Sean Connery film. Never mind." Jake laughed, "Father Mike used to watch it every Halloween. Scared the crap out of me when I was a kid. You're speeding up, why?"  
  
"We're being followed." Donovan growled speeding the car a little faster.  
  
Jake turned in the seat to look out the back window. "I don't see anything," he said pulling his gun out.  
  
Suddenly bright lights filled the car and the car jerked forward.  
  
"What the hell was that?" Alex asked sitting up in the seat as the car jerked forward again. She could see Donovan was having a hard time keeping control of the car. Alex looked out the window and barley saw the outline of a car pulling up next to them. "Watch out!" she yelled as the other car collided with the back bumper.   
  
"Hold on!" Donovan yelled as the car drove over the embankment. 


	7. chapter 7

The night sky was pitch black. The clouds hid the moon and stars. Darkness was working in their favor. The air was crisp, but the five men never showed it. They moved throughout the darkness like it was second nature. Five shadows moved along the walls of the buildings that lined the street. No one seemed to notice, if they did, they went about their business not caring.  
  
"Leader, this is Recon One. Four tangos confirmed inside."  
  
"Any visual on the hostage?" Leader asked.  
  
"Confirm. Hostage is tied to a chair in the back of the house. Two tangos guarding." Recon One replied.  
  
"Copy." Leader responded, "We'll be moving onto the house in five." Four hooded heads nodded in acknowledgment.  
  
"Recon One report." Leader ordered.  
  
"Two tangos in the front of the house and two in the back with the hostage. One is in front of the window. Permission to take out?"   
  
"Negative. Wait until we converge on the house." Leader ordered. Suddenly gunshots broke the silence, "Recon One, what's going on?"  
  
Just as Recon One was about to reply, the front of the house exploded. The two tangos ran out of the house on fire. Leader and two of his men tried to enter the house, but the intense heat from the flames prevented them. More gunshots echoed through the air.   
  
"Leader, this is Recon One. Tangos in the back have been eliminated." he reported, "I'm sorry, sir, the hostage is gone."  
  
Leader and his two men headed for the back of the house. The flames were starting to become intense back there as well. "Gone? What do you mean gone?" Leader barked into his headset.  
  
"I'm sorry, sir, she's dead." Recon One reported, "Sir, what's our next order?"  
  
"Fall, fall back to the LZ one." Leader ordered, trying to keep his composure for his team.   
  
Ten minutes later they were at the Belfast Dry docks waiting for their pick up. Leader made sure all five of his men were accounted for and unharmed from the fire. They heard the signal stating their ride home was outside waiting. Recon One covered the rear as the five men made their way to the boat. The boat dropped them off seven miles away.   
  
Leader and his team made their way into the safe house. Leader walked up to the Ambassador, "I'm sorry, sir, Ciara's dead." Leader watched the old man sink down into the chair and wrung his hands. He could see the tears running down the Ambassador's face.  
  
Leader turned his back and headed out the back door. He walked about fifty yards from the house when he finally took off the black hood that covered his face and left it around his neck and dropped to his knees. Donovan closed his eyes and replayed the events over and over again. Maybe if he would've done something different or got there sooner, Ciara could still be alive.   
  
It was a day Frank Donovan will never forget, the day he lost his wife.   
  
  
  
  
Donovan sat up, breathing heavy. "A dream," he whispered, "a nightmare." Donovan attempted to get out of the bed, but the room started to spin. Realizing he got up too fast, he grabbed for anything to help support him.   
  
"Are you okay?" Ciara asked taking hold of his arm.  
  
"What, what happened?" Donovan asked trying to steady himself.  
  
"McMartins' men ran us off the road." Ciara explained, helping him sit back down on the bed, "The car slid down the embankment. You hit your head. You have a nasty cut above your left eyebrow." She walked over to the nightstand and took the washcloth out of the bowl.   
  
"Are you okay?" Donovan asked, wincing in pain as she wiped his forehead.  
  
"A few bumps and bruises, nothing serious. Nothing to jar my memory. You need to lie back down," she ordered.  
  
"What I need to do is get us back to Dublin in one piece," Donovan said trying to get up again.  
  
"What we need," Ciara said, catching him as stumbled, "is for you not to hurt yourself again. Trying to get matching owies?"  
  
"Where's Jake and Alex?" he asked sitting back down on the bed.  
  
"Well, after much debate if Bolivia was worse than here, their securing the perimeter." she laughed.  
  
"And where is here?" he asked  
  
"Oh dear," Ciara said sitting down next to him on the bed, "you must've hit your head harder than we thought. Jake said you were thick headed, but this changes things. Quick, what's my name?"  
  
Donovan just looked at her, eyebrow raised in question, "You have to be joking right?" he asked.  
  
"How many fingers am I holding up?" Ciara asked, flashing several fingers around.  
  
"I think you've really lost your mind," Donovan sighed grabbing her hand to make her stop.  
  
"No, only my memory." she laughed as Donovan smiled at her attempt of a joke, "See, and Tom said you couldn't smile."  
  
"What did you say?" Donovan demanded, holding her hand tighter.  
  
"Ow, I said I only lost my memory," Ciara replied nervously.  
  
"No, you said Tom said I couldn't smile." Donovan repeated, "Why did you say that?"  
  
"I, I don't know." Ciara whispered, "Ever since I met you, you seemed so serious and when you smiled you actually looked relaxed and it just came out. Do you think I'm starting to remember?"  
  
"You might," Donovan carefully choosing his words.  
  
"Do you know something else that might help my memory?" Ciara asked excited at the prospect of regaining her memory.  
  
"Well, there was one thing Ciara enjoyed." Donovan smirked.  
  
"Really?" she questioned, not sure what he was implying.  
  
"Trust me." he smiled.  
  
Ciara leaned back on the bed and laughed, "My life's in your hands."  
  
"Exactly." Donovan replied taking off her shoes.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Yes? I told you never to call me here," the man hissed into the phone, "Two of the Americans are here and I can't have them find out my part in this. Is it done?"  
  
"My men ran them off the road on the way back to Bray." McMartins reported.  
  
"Is she dead this time?" he demanded.  
  
"If she's not, I'll personally make sure she is." McMartins promised, "A lot can happen to a person on the way back to Dublin form Bray. Cars going off cliffs either into the water or off the mountains."  
  
"Good," the man smiled into the phone, "but this time I want proof, solid proof that Ciara Fitzgerald is dead."  
  
"You'll get it," McMartins said, "I can't have her rambling off the things I did either."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Good thing we went back to the car," Jake said tossing the item around, "Donovan would've freaked to find his wallet missing. Hey, wanna take a peek?"  
  
"I'm not going through the man's wallet." Alex muttered, "I want to hurry back before it starts to rain. At least we have some food to eat before Monica and Cody show up."  
  
"If Monica doesn't throw Cody out of the car." Jake laughed walking into the house. "I'll go check on Donovan."  
  
"Yea, we don't him taking any long naps." Alex mumbled.  
  
Jake was about to open the bedroom door when he heard Ciara's voice.  
  
"Oh god, that feels so good." she moaned.  
  
"More?" Donovan asked.  
  
"Yes!" she moaned.  
  
Jake backed up away from the door and slowly made his way to the kitchen. "Is Donovan up?" Alex asked handing Jake a cup of coffee.  
  
"Uh, yea." Jake replied taking along drink.  
  
"Go see if he's hungry then." Alex replied. "Jake what's wrong?"  
  
"He's not alone." Jake replied uneasy at the thought of going in the room.  
  
"So? The man needs to eat." Alex reasoned. "Jake, are you blushing? No! Couldn't the man wait to see if she's his wife or not?" 


	8. chapter 8

I am so sorry for taking so long to update this story. Had major writer's block on this one and with the new job, time is kinda hard to find. It's not easy writing about a country I've never been to, but hopefully someday I will. Last time we checked in Cody and the gang were trying to find away to play hooky when Tom, Donovan's pal from the CIA walked in with some disturbing news. Donovan lost it when Tom gave him the news, hence the crew hops on a plane and heads to Ireland. They meet with the Ambassador and his informant. After getting the info they head of towards the town of Bray. At the hotel, a maid sneaks into Donovan's room and confirms they are looking for a woman. Alex, Donovan and Jake are taken to the house where the woman has been hiding out for the past year. Donovan sees her and is convinced she's he's dead wife, Ciara. Jake and Alex blow up at Donovan for not telling them the whole story. On the way back to Dublin their car is ran off the road where Donovan has hit his head. Ciara tries to clean the owie and says something that shocks Donovan. He leans her back onto the bed to help her remember more as Jake and a ticked off Alex are listening from the outside.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
"Alex, what are you doing?" Jake asked watching Alex storm towards the bedroom door.  
  
"I warned him," Alex hissed grabbing the door knob, "let the woman find out who she is. Don't take advantage of her. Would he listen? No!"  
  
"At least knock first, I don't want to be traumatized." Jake replied, shielding his eyes.  
  
"Oh my god!" Ciara moaned, "If I'm your wife, how could I forget about this?"  
  
"More?" Donovan asked."  
  
"Yes!" Ciara moaned, "Harder! Oh my!"  
  
"Oh, I am so going to kill him!" Alex seethed, hearing Ciara moan.  
  
"Alex," Jake whispered, trying to grab her arm, "wait!"   
  
Alex raised her leg and kicked the door in. "Donovan we have something to talk about!" Alex stormed in. She stopped in the doorway when she saw Ciara lying back on the bed, eyes closed. Donovan was sitting on the edge of the bed, massaging Ciara's feet that were in his lap.  
  
"Please don't be naked," Jake muttered, running into Alex's body.  
  
"What's the matter?" Donovan asked, moving Ciara's feet.  
  
"Uh, we," Alex stuttered, embarrassed for thinking the worst, "we found your wallet still in the car."  
  
"Yea," Jake quickly added, mentally saying a prayer, thankful he wasn't scarred for life, "Cody and Monica should be here any minute. How's the head feeling? You were out for quite some time."  
  
"How long was I out?" Donovan inquired.  
  
"Two hours." Jake replied, "It wasn't easy carrying you here."  
  
"They wouldn't let me help," Ciara pouted.  
  
"And they were right not too," Donovan added, "You don't need any added stress."  
  
  
"I lost my memory," Ciara growled, "not pregnant!"  
  
Jake and Alex looked at each other then to Donovan. "Well?" Alex asked, realizing they really don't know that much about Donovan.  
  
"Do I," Ciara stammered, "do we have children?"  
  
"Calvary's here!" Cody sang, walking into the house.  
  
"And we brought friends." Monica chipped in.  
  
"Agent Donovan, I'm Agent Sutherland, DSS." the man explained.  
  
"Who requested Diplomatic Security?" Jake asked.  
  
"We're here to escort you back to Dublin on orders from the Irish Ambassador." he replied, showing Donovan his credentials, "Until her identity is otherwise confirmed as not being Ciara Fitzgerald, she is still considered an American diplomat."  
  
"Good." Donovan smiled, satisfied. "The faster we get back to Dublin the better."  
  
"Does it matter what car we go in?" Cody asked.  
  
"I'm with Donovan." Alex replied.  
  
"Me too!" Jake added.  
  
"Oh come on!" Cody complained, "I'm getting better at driving here."  
  
"You let him drive?" Donovan asked Monica.  
  
"It's better than listening to him act like a backseat driver." she muttered, climbing into the van.  
  
Donovan shook his head and headed for the other van. He muttered something to Jake about being able to get in the van without help. He motioned for Alex to move away from Ciara. Alex glared at him as she moved next to Jake and Ciara couldn't help but smile.  
  
Donovan watched as her smile left and saw the seriousness on her face. "Do we have children?" she asked again.  
  
"We'll talk more when we get back to Dublin." Donovan carefully replied, patting her hand. "After we take your fingerprints, you can ask all the questions you want." 


	9. chapter 9

The ride back to Dublin was silent.   
  
Alex had her head against Jake's shoulder while Jake was leaning against the window.   
  
Donovan touched the cut above his eyebrow and winced. For the second time, he almost had lost his wife.  
  
Wife, Donovan thought to himself. He had no proof that the woman sleeping next to him is really his wife. Besides looking just like her and remembering Tom, it was a start. He could feel it in his gut that she was his wife.  
  
As they pulled into the estate, Donovan could see the armed guards patrolling the area. He was partially satisfied with the security the Ambassador had provided.  
  
Donovan could see the Ambassador waiting for them at the end of the driveway. Pooka was sitting next to him.   
  
As soon as the car stopped in front of the house, Donovan jumped out. He glanced back into the car to see if Ciara woke up.   
  
"Frank!" the Ambassador exclaimed, "Are you okay?"  
  
"Sir," Donovan said, taking a hold of the man's arm, "I need to speak to you."  
  
"Of course." he agreed, trying to look into the car.  
  
"Sir, she's been through a lot in the past twenty-four hours," Donovan started to explain.  
  
"And you think it would be best if I didn't crowd her right now." the Ambassador finished.  
  
Donovan could see the hurt in the old man's face. He knew Ciara was his life when she was a child and the news of her death almost destroyed him.  
  
"Sir," Donovan replied.  
  
"I understand, Frank." the Ambassador assured him. "Do what you need to get done first. I can wait. I waiting this long, what's a few more hours or days?"  
  
"Thank you sir," Donovan smiled.   
  
"Donovan?" Jake asked, motioning to the car.  
  
"I'll take care of Ciara." Donovan stated, bending down and lifting her out of the car.  
  
"Is that wise?" Alex asked. "You were knocked out for a few hours."  
  
"I'll be fine," Donovan replied, heading towards the house. "I want the security team assembled in the hall in ten minutes."  
  
"Got it," Jake replied.  
  
"So, that's the mysterious woman." Monica whistled.  
  
"Yea, here's the kicker," Alex replied, lighting a cigarette, "she could be his wife."  
  
"Wife?" Cody choked out, "Didn't know he was married."  
  
"Tell me about it" Jake sighed, watching his boss carrying the still sleeping woman up the stairs.  
  
"He won't do us any good if he falls while carrying her." Alex huffed.  
  
"You sound jealous." Monica laughed.  
  
"Not jealous," Alex admitted, "pissed. He should've told us form the beginning she could be his wife. I don't like being lied to."  
  
"We were told that Agent Donovan wanted to see us." a man dressed in black said.  
  
"I do." Donovan said walking down the stairs, dressed in all black. "You, you, you and you. Come with me."  
  
Jake, Alex, Cody and Monica watched as Donovan and the four men walked into the study and closed the door.  
  
"Well, I guess we're not invited." Cody pouted.  
  
"What's going on?" Monica asked.  
  
"I don't know." Jake replied. 


	10. chapter 10

The four agents paced around the hall, waiting, waiting for word on what's to come.  
  
"They've been in there for over an hour." Cody complained. "What could they be doing?"  
  
"You mean the five men dressed all in black?" Monica sarcastically replied. "Maybe they're planning to take over the world."  
  
"Ha ha." Cody dryly replied. "You know what I mean. Leave Pinky and the Brain out of this."  
  
"What are you doing?" Jake asked, watching Cody trying to look through the lock. "That's not going to work."  
  
"Jake's right" Monica added, "Why didn't you bug the place?"  
  
"Of course it's going to work," Cody boasted, "now if you guys will shut uuuupppp!"  
  
"Cody!" Alex yelled.  
  
Cody fell flat on his face when the door quickly opened up. He looked up and realized he was looking into the barrel of a very menacing gun.   
  
"Yep, that barrel is clean," Cody squeaked, slowly standing up.  
  
"And what do you think you're doing?" Monica demanded to Donovan.  
  
Donovan slowly walked out of the study. "I'm going to the corner store to get some corn beef." he commented.  
  
"Get me some gum." Cody said, rolling his eyes.  
  
"You're going after McMartins." Alex stated. She looked her boss up and down and noted his state of dress and how well armed he is.  
  
Black BDU's, black boots, black flac jacket. The black Balaclava hanging from his belt. He means business. His Glock .40 Caliber was strapped to his right leg and a gun was slung behind his back.  
  
Cody walked around his boss, impressed. "A MP5A4 with laser sights right?" Cody asked. Jake and Alex looked at Cody in amazement. "What? I know an awesome toy when I see one."  
  
"You were just in an accident and have head trauma." Alex reminded him. "You can't go after him."  
  
"I can and I will." Donovan stated, checking the straps to his gun.  
  
"I'm going with" Jake said, grabbing Donovan's arm.  
  
"No." Donovan hissed.  
  
"Don't be stupid!" Alex hissed back.  
  
"I need you here to protect Ciara." Donovan ordered.   
  
"You need one of us to go with you!" Jake argued.  
  
"You have no authority here." Monica added  
  
"She's right," Alex agreed, "Diplomatic Security doesn't do ghost work."  
  
"I know that," Donovan admitted, "but I never said they were Diplomatic Security."  
  
"Then who?" Cody asked, "Oh, never mind."  
  
"One of us is going with." Jake argued.  
  
"Cody is." Donovan replied.  
  
"What?" they exclaimed.  
  
"Why me?" he asked.  
  
"I need you to run communications for me." he replied. "Monica, when she wakes up, take her prints and then send them to Tom. He'll run them and get back to you ASAP."  
  
"Got it," Monica replied, going into the room where they set up the computer.  
  
"Alex, I'm holding you to that threat you gave earlier." Donovan smirked, "Keep her safe."  
  
Alex nodded and went to go get her things.  
  
"What about me? Jake asked.  
  
"You have five minutes to go get ready." Donovan ordered.  
  
Donovan walked out onto the patio and took out his wallet. He pulled out an old picture and stared at it.   
  
"And what am I to do for fun?" Ciara asked, walking up to Donovan. "I have no idea what I do for fun."  
  
Donovan couldn't help but smirk, the thoughts that are going through his head. "There are some things I could think of, but best saved for later." he admitted.  
  
"You're going after McMartins." Ciara stated.  
  
"He needs to be stopped." Donovan replied, trying to put the picture back into his wallet.  
  
"Not so fast," Ciara said, taking the picture out of his hand. She gasped when she looked at it. "When was this taken?"  
  
"It was at our engagement party." Donovan replied.   
  
"You said 'our'." Ciara whispered, caressing Donovan's cheek. "How can you be certain this is me?"  
  
Donovan took her hand in his and placed it over his heart. "Because this tells me I'm right. It tells me you are my wife."  
  
"Uh, sorry," Jake interrupted, "but they're telling me it's time to go."  
  
"I'll be right there." Donovan replied, never taking his eyes off Ciara.  
  
"You gotta go." Ciara whispered, trying not to show her fear.  
  
"I do, but first this," Donovan replied, gently kissing Ciara.  
  
"Donovan?" Jake asked.  
  
"Don't worry," Donovan winked, "I'll be back soon."  
  
Ciara watched as Donovan and Jake walked out the door with the other members of the team. She leaned against the wall and sighed.  
  
"Damn!" Monica exclaimed, "I never knew the boss man could actually be romantic. Ever."  
  
"I hope I'm his wife." Ciara sighed.  
  
"Why?" Monica asked.  
  
"I'm falling in love with him." she admitted. 


	11. chapter 11

Darkness engulfed a house except for the dim light coming from the lit fireplace.  
"Shouldn't we call and warn McMartins?" McGee asked, Michael, the Ambassador's secretary.  
"No," he replied, tossing some papers into the fireplace, "let Donovan kill him. One less problem for us to worry about."  
"And if his wife regains her memory?" McGee asked.  
"We won't have to worry about that," Michael smiled, looking at his watch, "all will be taken care of soon."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Rain started to fall and the wind started to pick. Lightning flashed, briefly highlighting six shadows running next to the building.  
Six men dressed in black crept along the sidewall of the abandoned building. The outside gave the appearance of being abandoned. Inside, it was McMartins' hideout.  
Donovan put his hand up, warning his team to stop.  
"Cody," Donovan whispered into his headset, "anything on visual?"  
"No hostiles on the outside or inside," Cody replied looking at his monitor, "only one person is inside."  
"McMartins?" Jake asked.  
"Can't be positive," Cody replied.  
"Good enough," Donovan said, motioning to move forward, "one step closer. Any word from Monica yet?"  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
"So, what do I have to do now?" Ciara asked Monica, looking at the computer.  
"I just need you to relax and let me have your fingers do the walking," Monica laughed, making sure the software was set up.  
"Relax," Ciara laughed, as Monica took her right hand, "easy for you to say. You know who you are."  
"Sometimes it would be nice to forget," Monica laughed. "Sorry."  
"Don't worry about it," Ciara smiled, "soon we'll know who I am."  
"This process should only take a few minutes," Monica commented, rolling Ciara's fingers on the pad.  
"How long after that will I know who I am?" Ciara asked.  
"Well, it could take Tom a few minutes or it could take a few hours." Monica replied, rolling Ciara's other hand. "I'm not sure."  
"One down, one to go," Ciara commented.  
"What does that mean?" Monica asked suspiciously, sending the prints to Tom.  
"It means I'll know if I'm Frank's wife or not," she replied, "then I just need to find out why McMartins wants me dead."  
"This might take awhile," Monica reminded her, "why don't you get something to eat and I'll find you when I get the results."  
Ciara nodded and left the room. Deciding she wasn't hungry, Ciara went outside and started to head towards the back of the estate.  
Once there, Ciara made her way into the family cemetery. She looked at the names and felt frustrated when they didn't seem familiar to her. Slowly, she walked over to a headstone that had fresh dirt in front of it.  
Ciara gasped when she read the name.  
Ciara Fitzgerald. Born October 30, 1970. Died September 24, 2000.   
Beloved Céile.   
Tears filled her eyes when she thought of the pain Frank must've went through when he thought he buried her. His wife. Ciara bent down and picked up and rock and threw it in frustration.   
"D'anam don diabhal!" Ciara whispered, damning McMartins, wherever he was.  
"My soul's already damned," McMartins laughed, walking out of the shadows. Ciara turned and saw him walking towards her, aiming a gun at her, "we need to go somewhere and be alone." 


	12. chapter 12

I know, I know. It's about darn time I updated this story. I'm sooo sorry it's taking so long. Enjoy.  
  
"Alex, we're almost back to the house. Any updates?" Donovan demanded.  
  
"Tom hasn't contacted us yet with the results," Alex informed him. "And before you ask, she's walking around the grounds, anxious as you are to get the results. What's going on?"  
  
"Get her back into the house!" Donovan ordered. "We found McGee's body in the warehouse. McMartins is out there somewhere."  
  
"She's not on the grounds," Cody cut in.  
  
"What do you mean 'She's not on the grounds'?" Donovan asked, trying to keep his eyes on the road.   
  
"You bugged her?" Jake whispered to Cody.  
  
"Well, yea," Cody admitted.  
  
"Brave man," Jake whistled.  
  
"I thought it was a good idea at the time!" Cody defended himself. "In case she took off or got spooked."  
  
"Cody, you're a genius!" Jake laughed. He never had thought of that.  
  
"Alex, get the guards to check the grounds," Donovan ordered. "I'll have Cody update you on the tracking movements. Find her!"  
  
"Where are we going?" Ciara asked.   
  
"Just keep driving," McMartins ordered. "It won't be much longer."  
  
Ciara kept her eyes on the curving back road. She had no idea where they were going. It felt like she was driving for hours, yet it had been only thirty minutes.  
  
She had to do something. She had to get away from him. Ciara didn't have many options. Only one came to mind and it was dangerous. Quickly, she thought of the pros and cons. One was McMartins kills her; the other meant risking killing herself and hopefully taking McMartins out.   
  
Ciara took a deep breath and started to silently say a prayer. She tightened her grip on the steering wheel.  
  
McMartins looked at her and realized what Ciara was about to do. "Are you insane?" he growled, trying to take the wheel.  
  
As he lunged for the wheel, Ciara drove the car off the road. She closed her eyes as the car sped towards the trees.   
  
"Frank!" she yelled, as the car slammed into a tree.  
  
A sudden chill went down Donovan's spine; instinct was telling him something was wrong. "Have you found her yet?" he barked into the headset.  
  
"She's finally stopped," Cody replied, giving a sigh of relief.   
  
"How far?" Jake asked.  
  
"About thirty miles from us, give or take," Cody figured. "Maybe ten for Alex."  
  
"Alex," Donovan started to say.  
  
"She's one step ahead of you," Monica replied. "She took the security team and headed out. Still no word from Tom yet."  
  
"As soon as you hear, let me know." Donovan replied, pressing his foot down on the accelerator.  
  
Ciara slowly opened her eyes. The sound of a horn echoed through her head. She felt the steering wheel under her head. It started coming back to her. McMartins forcing her into the car at gunpoint, her forcing the car into the trees, her head hitting the steering wheel. She turned to see if McMartins was still in the car.   
  
He was gone.  
  
Ciara started to push at the car door with all her strength. She had to get far away from there. On the fifth push, she tumbled out of the car. She could see smoke coming from the engine. Ciara sighed as she saw McMartins motionless body on the other side of the car.   
  
Ciara leaned on the tree and wiped the sweat from her eyes. She winced and looked at her hand. It was full of blood. She was having a hard time breathing and it hurt like hell to place pressure on her right leg.  
  
"Bloody hell!" McMartins cursed, trying to get up.  
  
Ciara gasped and looked to see where she could hide.   
  
Nowhere. All she saw was open land.   
  
She did notice the wind started to pick up and the crashing of water. They must be close to the sea.  
  
"There must be a lighthouse near here," Ciara muttered to herself, not knowing if they really had lighthouses in Ireland.  
  
Taking a guess, Ciara started to hobble towards the water.  
  
Alex looked out the window, hoping to find something, any trace of Ciara.   
  
"Stop!" she yelled, "Over there."  
  
"Talk to me, Alex," Jake replied.  
  
"We found a car smashed into a tree," Alex responded. "Front end's a mess. The windshield smashed out. There's nobody around."  
  
"We should be there in ten minutes," Donovan cut in.  
  
Alex shivered as the wind started to kick up. She could smell the rain coming. It was something she learned while living in Chicago. Rain always had a certain smell to it. She tried to explain it to Jake before, but he couldn't understand and called her 'nuts'.  
  
"Anything?" Alex yelled to her security team.  
  
"Nothing yet," one replied.  
  
Alex looked back at the road and was relived to see the headlights of an oncoming car. She was about to speak to Donovan when she heard a scream.  
  
"Fan out!" she ordered, "They're around here somewhere."  
  
"Alex, report."   
  
"We're searching the area. I heard something that sounded like a scream," she reported. A movement in the dark caught Alex's eye. "Over there!"  
  
Ciara tried to run, but it was no use. She fell to the ground, holding her head. The pain was excruciating. She pressed her hands against her head, trying to will the pain away. She needed to get up and keep moving.   
  
"You bloody bint!" McMartins spat, grabbing Ciara by her hair. "You'll wish I'd killed you over a year ago."  
  
"Let me go!" she screamed, trying to fight him.  
  
"Bitch!" he growled, slapping her in the face. "I'll get rid off you one way or another."  
  
Ciara fought with all her might as McMartins started to drag her towards the edge of the cliff. She wasn't going to die like this. She wasn't going to die not knowing who she really was.   
  
"Let her go, McMartins!" Alex ordered, aiming her gun at him.  
  
"I got nothing to lose," McMartins snapped back, dragging Ciara closer to the edge.  
  
The crashing of the waves on the rocks below echoed through Ciara's head. She couldn't think from the pain.   
  
"Let her go," Alex again ordered.  
  
"I got a clear shot," James, one of the security agents, replied.  
  
"Take it," Alex replied, hoping he was right.  
  
The gunshot echoed on the wind. Alex watched in horror as McMartins started to fall over the cliff, taking Ciara with him.  
  
"No!" Alex yelled, starting to run for the edge.  
  
"Ciara!" Donovan yelled, watching her tumble over the edge. 


	13. chapter 13

13.  
  
"Ciara!"  
  
"Agent Donovan," the doctor sighed. "Please follow the light."  
  
Donovan muttered an apology and complied with the doctor. He didn't need a doctor to tell him he had a concussion.  
  
"You'll need to stay awake for twenty-four hours," the doctor started to explain. All Donovan heard was 'blah, blah, blah.' "You're not to move from this room."  
  
Donovan scowled at the doctor and leaned back into the bed. He hated hospitals almost as much as he hated being confined. Besides, his job wasn't finished yet.  
  
"Don't worry, doc," Jake assured the man. "We'll handcuff him to the bed if we have to." Cody and Monica smirked as they held up their handcuffs.  
  
"I need to check," Donovan started to say.  
  
"She's fine," Alex assured him. Of course he wouldn't be satisfied unless he saw her himself. Alex couldn't believe what happened in the past twenty-four hours.  
  
She could still hear the echo of the gunshot that sent McMartins over the cliff. None of them expected him to be able to pull Ciara with him.  
  
"Ciara!" Donovan screamed, watching her fall over the cliff. He stumbled as he ran towards the edge. "Light! I need light." He threw his jacket off, knocking his headset off in the process.  
  
Alex and James shined their mag-lites over the edge. She couldn't believe what she saw.  
  
"Hold on, Ciara!" Donovan yelled, tying a rope around his waist that James tossed to him.  
  
"Frank," Ciara yelled, "help me!"  
  
"Hold on, baby!" Frank replied as James and Jake held onto the rope while they lowered him down.  
  
"What's going on?" Monica asked, her voice filling Cody's ears via the speakers on his headset.  
  
"Can't talk now," he replied, holding the two flashlights in his hands.  
  
"I got Tom on the other line," Monica explained. "He needs to speak to Donovan."  
  
"Not now!" Cody replied.  
  
"But," Monica started to say.  
  
"Not now!" Cody yelled again.  
  
"Ciara, grab my hand." Donovan demanded, stretching out his arm.  
  
"I can't," Ciara cried, holding on tighter to the root.  
  
"Yes, you can," Donovan said, trying to grab her wrist, but missed. "You trust me baby? On three." "I trust you,' Ciara replied, bringing her right hand up.  
  
The shifting of her weight caused Ciara to slip and she started to fall. Donovan reached out and grabbed firmly hold of her hand.  
  
" I got you," Donovan replied, tightening is grip. "Pull us up!"  
  
Jake and James grabbed a hold of Donovan as he came over the edge, while Alex grabbed Ciara.  
  
Donovan winced in pain as his head felt like it was ready to explode. He looked at his hand and noticed the blood. "We need an ambulance," he whispered, as he laid his head on the ground. It was hard to keep his eyes open.  
  
"Donovan," Jake yelled, "come on, open those eyes."  
  
"Tell Donovan Tom has news that he'll want to hear," Monica said into Jake's headset.  
  
Alex was startled when the doctor brought her back to the present.  
  
"They both have a concussion." he stated. "They both need to rest."  
  
"We'll make sure they do," Alex replied, rolling her shoulders. It's going to be a long night, she thought to herself.  
  
The wind was whipping her hair around her face; rain beating down on her as she ran for the safety of the Consulate. She was glad her day was over. It was hard trying to help in the negotiations with the IRA and the British government. Neither one wanted to make the first move. Both were acting like children.  
  
Children; the thought of that made Ciara smile. A few more weeks and she would be working on that with her husband. She turned in her resignation this morning. Her boss was sad to see it, but understood why. Ciara wanted a family.  
  
She saw the light on under the door in the Ambassador's office. He was going to be hurt that she decided to quit. She'd explain it to him. He'd understand. She was about to open the door when she heard raised voices.  
  
"The plan is in motion," Ciara heard. She recognized that voice. "The attempt on the Ambassador will be in two weeks. I'm not going to have this American ruin everything."  
  
Ciara covered her mouth. She couldn't believe what she head. They were planning to kill her godfather - The American Ambassador to Ireland. She started to move away from the door when she stumbled into a chair.  
  
"Check that out!" the man ordered.  
  
Ciara ran for the door hoping no one saw her. She was wrong.  
  
Ciara moved her head restlessly as she lay in the hospital bed. She willed the images to leave her head. The voice kept haunting her.  
  
Suddenly a hand clamped down onto her mouth. Ciara's eyes snapped open and she tried to scream.  
  
"Sssh," the voice from her dream hissed in her ear. "I should've killed you myself instead of letting McMartins play that stupid game of hiding you."  
  
Ciara strained her head to look at the voice. She recognized the man. Liam Magruder, the Ambassador's secretary.  
  
He muffled her scream as he pulled out he IV. "We can't have any interruptions this time," he sneered. "I knew sooner or later I'd find you. It was so easy to let everyone think you were dead. You just had to pop back up, didn't you?"  
  
Ciara watched in horror as he placed a syringe into his mouth and popped off the cap.  
  
"With all the bruises on you, they'll never notice one little needle mark. I can't risk you regaining you're memory, so I'm afraid you'll have to die for 'real this' time."  
  
"Get away from my wife!" Donovan slowly growled, pointing his gun at Liam. "You can barely stand," Liam sneered, moving the needle closer to Ciara. "I'll inject her before you can shoot."  
  
"But I can shoot," Jake bit out, stepping out from behind Donovan, ready to shoot his gun. "Give me a good reason to kill you."  
  
Liam dropped the syringe as the police walked into the room. Jake helped Donovan over to the bed to check on Ciara. The two men sized each other up. Before Liam could react, Donovan punched him in the face.  
  
"I owe you a lot more," Donovan swore.  
  
"Frank," Ciara whispered.  
  
Donovan turned his attention back to his wife. His wife, he smiled. He was relieved when Jake passed on the news from Tom. 'Ciara was, with a doubt, his wife; something he knew instinctively.  
  
"Frank," Ciara cried.  
  
"I'm here, baby," Donovan replied, wiping the tears off her cheek.  
  
"I remember everything," she replied, squeezing his hand. 


End file.
